Inmate gets prison time for scuffle

COLDWATER — Branch County Prosecutor Ralph Kimble asked "for a clear message" — that Branch County Jail inmates "who rise up and act out will not be tolerated."

Christopher Moore, 20, will serve 18 months to five years for a June 15 assault on corrections officers Roy Shutts and Craig Smith. The incident occurred when the officers confronted Moore for acting out in his cell.

Moore had removed a 3-inch screw from a phone, court documents said. He threatened to stab officers when they came to take it.

Six officers went into the cell. Smith was hit in the head; Shutts suffered abrasions when he was hit in the left temple.

Moore, a resident of Franklin, Ky., claimed, "I am truly sorry. I was acting out of fear."

He claimed he had a "chemical imbalance" and was "detoxing" because he was off his medications.

He had been considered suicidal.

Defense attorney Eric Goodwin noted this was Moore's first felony. He said Moore just wanted to go back to Kentucky.

Branch County Circuit Judge Bill O’Grady noted that at age 16 Moore was imprisoned as a juvenile for an attack on his own mother.

With minimal staffing at the Branch County Jail, Kimble noted there have been a series of prisoners acting out — some have possessed weapons, some have made escape attempts and others have had confrontations with jail officers.

Kimble wanted Moore to receive a prison term , saying it might act as a deterrent for other inmates who planned to violate jail policies.

Moore was arrested June 13 for taking a cup containing $26 worth quarters from the Maytag Laundry. A woman who worked at the laundry tracked Moore down.